Smart Solutions for Busy Moms!
As a busy blogger, you spend a ton of time at the computer, right? Which can lead to hunching over to see the screen, slumping back in your office chair while you browse social media, or even the weird positions you get into while balancing your laptop while working. So – here are a few tips to building better posture that will hopefully help save you from potential problems down the road…
Find More at the Greatist Fitness Blog
I’ve been so busy lately, trying to catch up on projects – and maybe even get a little bit ahead before I fly away again… This time to North Carolina, to see my bloggy buddies, and speak at Reviewer’s Retreat. And since I’ve been so busy, my email had piled up. A lot. So I had totally missed the Collective Bias email newsletter for a few days… and I was the featured member on Social Fabric this week! Did you see by big face smiling at you from the newsletter on Monday?You can check out my random answers to the profile questions, and leave a comment too if you’d like to show a little love. It was startling as I was quickly going through messages to suddenly see myself in that one, lol. But lots of fun – I LOVE the peeps over there. {Yes, when they open up to new members again, I’ll let you guys know asap!} Here is a round up of new tips, leads, and tools for this week – and as always, feel free to leave your best blogging tips article links, sign up forms, or event details – in the comments below!
If you’re looking for more blogging tips and info, you can check out all of the other Weekly Bloggertunity posts too, or browse my Blogging & Social Media board on Pinterest.
Weekly list of new leads, events, and tips on monetizing your site – sunshineandsippycups.com/2012/05/weekly… #mombloggers
— SunandSipCups (@SunandSipCups) May 17, 2012
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Lenovo for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Is anyone else totally hooked on Pandora radio? Pandora is a free online music site where you can build your own personalized radio stations. I pay for the upgraded version each year, since I listen to it non-stop, every day. I have a silly songs station for Abby to listen to while we play in the afternoon – Wooly Bully is our fave for dancing. I have a lullaby station for her to listen to at night. I have stations for whatever mood I might be in too – from a rowdy oldies station featuring Creedence Clearwater, to an awesome Adele station that helps me get through a couple hours of online writing each night – I seriously need music on in our house all of the time. But I also need something to make it sound better! I had no idea how bad my computer speakers were until I heard my brother's one day. I didn't know that a computer could HAVE awesome sound! So I knew it was time to upgrade mine, and fast.
Then I found these little guys – Their official name is the Lenovo speaker M0620. I think I'll name mine MO. They're cute, they're totally portable – which is perfect when you want to blast tunes from the laptop in the kitchen for dinnertime dance parties, and they can work with your desktop, laptop, smartphone, or MP3 players too.
Best part – From May 15 – May 21, these awesome speakers are only $11.99. Awesome.
So – check out the Lenovo speaker online, order one for you, and a few for easy Father's Day gifts too, and check out the other sales and cool gadgets they've got available. I ordered mine, and am super excited to soon hear my tunes from these rockin' little speakers instead of the old ones I've had for years. Less than $12 bucks to make this happy? That's a good deal :)
Are you gearing up for a busy summer of travel? Whether it’s a fun summer vacation with the family, or an awesome conference like Reviewer’s Retreat or BlogHer ’12 – if you’re going to be flying, you need these quick travel tips! Benefit is my total favorite when it comes to cosmetics. You know I’m all about Smart Solution products that solve the challenges of my busy life as a mom, right? Well, Benefit makes the BEST in smart solutions. From my all time favorite beauty kit – Confessions of a Concealaholic
Now, if you’re a strategic shopper like me, and have loads of free Amazon credit earned from places like Swagbucks and Survey Spot, then you can find all of these products on Amazon, with free shipping – Some of the featured picks were Stay Don’t Stray
Get your choice of a FREE velvet eyeshadow in tickled mink with any $60 order using code TICKLED at checkout or a free creaseless cream eyeshadow/liner in strut with any $60 order using code STRUTUP at checkout.
Offer expires May 22, 2012 at 11:59 PM PST, and whenever you order over $50 at Benefit, you’ll always have free shipping included, no promo codes needed! And the Tickled Mink eyeshadow is my total go-to shade – it works on every skin tone, and glides on so smooth. You’ll love it too!
It’s true – just about any online purchase you make can be made a little bit sweeter with the right online promo code. But how do you find one when you need it? There are a ton of great shopping sites that can help – but I want to introduce you to a new one I’ve just started using that I think you’ll love – zuuzs.com. You can search for codes by store, find free shipping codes, get a daily email update with the coolest new coupon code deals… And, best part? You can even earn CASH money for being a member of the site. Sweet, right?
All you have to do is head to zuus.com and take like two minutes to set up your new account. Easy peasy. Then, each time you want to shop online, start by visiting their site first – You’ll be able to see if there are any cool new codes to use, saving you big bucks. And, you’ll earn some free cash back from your purchase, just because you stopped in there first. So helpful. AND – every time you share this site or their sweet dealios with your friends and family, you’ll earn money on THEIR purchases too! Whaaaaat? I know. But it gets even better – when THEY share with THEIR friends, you’ll earn from those purchases too. If you’re a savvy shopper, this is an easy way to earn a free check each month when you share all these sweet savings.
“Families with babies and families without babies are sorry for each other.” – Edgar Watson Howe … This is so true. Before I became a mother, I thought that it would be the hardest job in the world. And it is. But it’s also the best – as all you mommas out there already know. But when you’re pregnant for the first time, planning a pregnancy can be super scary – trying to prepare for all of the immense life changes that are headed your way! We all know that having babies is expensive – but I have an awesome tool that will let you rest easier, by helping you to take a look at how your baby will affect your finances. Keep reading to find out how much it really costs to raise a child, and how to figure out how to manage all of those expenses.
One of my favorite sites, LearnVest.com, has a great program called Baby on Board Bootcamp – and it’s totally free to join. Awesome, right? You’ll get tips on things like how to estimate what you’ll need for your new baby, how to reduce other spending to free up that cash, the best way to save on kids clothing, whether it’s more expensive to raise a boy or a girl – and so much more. I’ve done a few of their free bootcamps before, and they are super helpful. {It’s hard to believe that they’re free, right?}
One of my favorite parts of this free Baby on Board Bootcamp is the Maternity Leave Basics section. This can be SUCH a confusing part of planning for a baby, and many mommas-to-be don’t know enough about the laws, their rights, and what they’re entitled to. This section also goes over the pros and cons of being a stay at home mom versus working outside the home, and helps you determine which one will be right for your new family. Great resources.
Sign up for a free account at LearnVest today. The next screen you’ll go to will have budgeting tools – you can use those to enter your info now {it’s awesome}, or click the button on the bottom right to skip it and come back later. Next you’ll see a big screen with paid subscriptions – You can just click the bottom right again, to continue without upgrading. Now you’ll get a cool screen showing you a bunch of the free tools that are available to you in LearnVest – click “take me to my dashboard” in the upper right of that pop up box. Now – see that big list of FREE bootcamps available to you on the right side of your screen? Yep – you get all of those free! Things like:
And tons more. You’ll also find the latest articles filled with financial info that’s actually fun to read. Things like 7 Reasons TV is Ruining Your Life, or Why I Became a Mom at 44. You’ll get a weekly email with tips on staying stylish on a frugal budget, the best way to save on fresh fruits and veggies, and how to totally ace a job interview. You will love this site – pinky promise.
Be sure to enter to win in their big end of summer giveaway too!
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment in cooperation with Relativity Media and The Bandito Brothers pledged today to give a portion of the proceeds from the Act of Valor
The movie sounds incredible – eight real Navy SEALs have been cast in the lead roles, to ensure that you’re getting a realistic view into what our military faces daily in the fight against terrorism. The plot is centered on a team that is trying to stop a radical jihadist from sending suicide bombers into American stadiums and shopping malls. That really hits home, since that’s the kind of worry that so many of us have had in the back of our minds since 9/11. One of the Amazon
Operation Homefront provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors. A national nonprofit, Operation Homefront leads more than 4,500 volunteers with a national presence and has met more than 590,000 needs since 2002. A four-star rated charity by watchdog Charity Navigator, nationally, 94 percent of total revenue donated to Operation Homefront goes directly to support service members and their families. For more information about Operation Homefront, please visit www.OperationHomefront.
"The phrase "working mother" is redundant." I'm Meagan - a Momma, a Blogger, a Freelance Writer, and a total Social Media Junkie. I love sparkles and … [Read More...]
